Microsoft, one of the oldest tablet developing companies, released their first tablet 10 years ago with Chairman Bill Gate’s prediction that within five years it will be the most popular form of PC sold in America. The release was a complete failure mainly because of the operating system they had used in it – Windows XP, which was originally developed for Desktop PC customers. Apple CEO, Steve Jobs, recognized the importance of having a different operating system for tablets from Microsoft’s failure. Apple wrote its name in golden letters in the history of tablets, by introducing iPad in which they included a new operating system called iOS. iPad was a big hit in the US market and very soon Google followed with Android based tablets.

Recently, Microsoft released the preview of their newest operating system called Windows 8, to compete with iPad and Android based tablets. This operating system is being developed for both Desktop and Tablet PC customers. The Windows 8 tablets will have a marvellous new interface that looks rather like Windows Phone 7, called Metro. The Windows 8 Metro interface is well-suited for tablets with the UI designed and optimized for touch.

Windows 8 introduces a number of features in its tablet and PC versions.

Windows Store:- Windows 8 comes with Windows Store that is similar to Apple Store and Android Market. Application developers will be able to upload their applications to Windows Store.

Support for NFC:- Windows 8 also introduces APIs to support Near Field Communication (NFC) on Windows 8 devices, allowing functionality like launching URLs/applications and sharing of information between NFC supported devices just by touching the devices.

USB 3.0 Support:- In addition to USB 2.0 support, Windows 8 will have USB 3.0 support for higher data transfer.

Windows Live ID Integration:- Customers will be able to link their Windows Live ID with their Windows 8 operating system. This can be used to synchronise their settings and files across multiple computers running on Windows 8 operating system.

Windows To Go:- This feature allows Windows 8 to boot from a USB device. Windows To Go works both on USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 connections.

Protogon Filesystem:- News update states that Windows 8 will support a new file system called Protogon. However, the Microsoft team hasn’t released any more information about this file system or its features.

ARM Processor Support:- Windows 8 will will support ARM based processors in addition to AMD and Intel processors. There will be separate editions of Windows 8 for ARM based processors and x86 based processors such as AMD and Intel. ARM based processors consume less energy and this will be a plus for Windows 8 based tablets.

Windows 8 based tablets are expected to be released in the mid of 2012. The preview build released recently is getting the attention of the mobile and tablet application developers because of the wide array of supporting features and its fresh GUI.

QBurst, is eagerly awaiting the release of Windows 8 to see how it competes with iPhone and Android markets in the coming years. If you would like to hear more about apps development on various tablet platforms, just shoot us an email or contact us today.

A few days back, Apple’s ‘Let’s Talk iPhone’ event was held at its head quarters in Cupertino, California. Disappointment struck gadget enthusiasts as expectations for iPhone 5 were laid to rest. Now, with the passing away of Steve Jobs, the company may continue to lose its stock value. The event, however, witnessed the unveiling of more than 200 new features for iOS 5 along with iPod updates, iCloud and iPhone 4S.The iPhone 4S will be available on October 14, 2011 in the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Japan. The smart phone comes in two colors – black and white. At first glance, although it looks exactly like the iPhone, it isn’t the same. Apple’s phone will feature the company’s new A5 dual-core processor. Apple boasts that the A5 is seven times faster than the previous processor. Reviewers say graphics are super detailed. Updates aside, there is one feature which differentiates iPhone 4S from its predecessors – the Siri. We will be analyzing this feature in detail here.

Siri – A Voice Based Assistant
Siri is a voice based intelligence assistant. It has a robotic female voice (like Small Wonder Vicki) and can be launched by holding down the home button for a few seconds. Siri is in Beta to start with. It supports English, French and German, that’s three major languages. Unlike the other voice assistants we are familiar with, Siri brings a conversational interface to the iPhone.

Apple has partnered with Yelp, a local business listing service, to give Siri, the access to businesses in the local area. Another key partnership is with Wolfram Alpha. Wolfram Alpha is a new service that provides meaningful answers based on every known model, method and algorithm. Siri also makes the best use of Wikipedia and location based services that are available for free.

Siri’s Intelligence
Siri is intelligent enough to combine your information and your current location with that of your contacts and tools like Yelp, Wolfram Alpha, and Wikipedia to efficiently communicate with you. Here’s an example of what Siri can do. Suppose you ask “Any burger joints around here?” Siri would locate your current position using Maps or other location services, check the local listings in Yelp for burger joints and respond, “I have found a number of burger joints for you”, by displaying the list on the screen. Siri can give you directions, the day’s weather, exchange rates, flight details and even the latest stock quotes. It can play songs from iCloud, set up meetings, alarms and reminders. Siri can also compose or read messages for you.

We know that some of these features are already available in other smart phones. What makes Siri unique is its ability to interpret natural language and respond back in the same way. iPad/iPhone users know the perfection of the touch feature in Apple’s products – in fact, the perfection is no match with any other. Imagine such perfection in voice. This will definitely make iPhone 4S a revolutionary phone. Anyway, we will have to wait and see.

Other Features
Antenna Switching: There is an efficient wireless system in place now. This one can intelligently switch between two antennas to transmit and also receive signals. The switching can happen even in the middle of a call – this is to improve call quality. According to Apple’s test results, the download rate is now twice as fast as before (14.4 Mbps down and 5.8 Mbps up).

Image/ Video Capturing: The new camera has an 8 mega pixel sensor that allows to take photos at a resolution of 3264 x 2448 pixels. There is also a hybrid IR filter and five-element lens (there were four in the iPhone 4). Video recording is still a challenge for smart phones but iPhone 4S enables to take a 1080p HD video with real-time video image stabilization.

AirPlay: This feature is a plus for Apple TV users. Photos and videos can be streamed straight to Apple TV setup. There is also AirPlay mirroring. For those who do not use Apple TV, any HDMI cable can be plugged to do wired mirroring.

Our mobile development team at QBurst is excited about iPhone 4S. Get in touch with us if you are planning for an iPhone App for your business.

The latest news about Apple launching an app store for Macs is creating waves in all the tech circles. A few days back, the company unveiled the eighth version of its operating system, OS X. The OS is dubbed  ‘Lion‘. During this function, Steve Jobs also spoke about the Mac App Store. This move by Apple is supportive to developers who are ‘objective C’ nerds.

Just a year back, Apple introduced the app store for iPhones. The introduction was made by an upgrade through iTunes. Applications were developed in iPhone SDK and put in the app store. The store was a hit and the developers were allowed to take away 70% of the revenue the app generated. Following this success, Apple is now attempting to bring the same into the Macs. OS X is scheduled to be available only next year. However app developers may not need to wait for such a long period for Mac App Store. The store will be ready to kick off in 90 days.

The Mac App Store is similar to the app store for iPhones. The app store will be first available in the current OS X 10.6, Snow Leopard. From the user’s point of view, there is no need for a separate account to use the app store. With the same iTunes credentials, one can browse through various apps that are listed categorically, scan a few screenshots and make a preferred order. There will also be free apps which can be installed immediately. Apple says, the installation will happen in one step. The apps, when installed will update automatically allowing the user to use the latest of the app.

For developers, it’s the same 70 – 30 proportion on revenue as it is with iPhone apps. Apple has listed various guidelines for developers to adhere with. These guidelines are accessible only after registration. A few to list:

• No betas
• No duplicates
• No frequent updates
• No third party installers. Only XCode
• No location based APIs
• No complex UI
• No change to the native UI element and behaviour of the OS
• No stores inside the app
• No pornography

Developers will be able to learn more about the store in Apple website. Apple will start to accept apps from next month. Jobs is striving to move things faster and to get the store fully functional before 3 months. QBurst has good experience in developing apps for iPhones and iPads. After dropping many apps into the iPhone App store, QBurst developers are all set to deliver apps for the Mac.

Touch phones from iPhone, HTCs and other brands have been around for a while, where as Nokia had not come up with their smart phones until recently. Nokia offers most of the latest technologies, but they have had a typical vintage ‘phone’ look. During February 2010, the buzz for open sources for mobile software and OS grew stronger with the merger of moblin (mobile linux from Intel) and maemo (FOSS initiative for mobiles and other handhelds from Nokia) and which gave birth to the Meego operating system. Both maemo and moblin could be installed on mobile phones and applications on these platforms could be developed in C/C++.

During the fall of 2008, Nokia also acquired Qt that was initially developed by Troltech as a proprietary software. Nokia released the source code of Qt under LGPL after the acquisition. Nobody understood what Nokia was upto, because Qt ES (formerly known as Qtopia Core) wasn’t so popular at that point of time. Later, when Meamo development community created a support for Qt framework, it got clear that MeeGo applications can be developed with Qt! With Qt, it is possible to develop applications for a range of devices like netbooks, notebooks, palmtops, smart phones, PDAs, tablet PCs and other handhelds. Qt applications are very rich in GUI and have proved to be solid. Opera browser and Skype are popular examples. This makes MeeGo a serious competitor for Android and iPhone. MeeGo can be downloaded and byte-copied to a thumb drive for testing. It has got a pleasing appearance, vibrant colors and a nice interface and nice big icons designed for touch environment.

If we look at the new Windows mobiles, without skype they are rated ‘poor’ for user experiences. Skype has already announced its support to iPhone, Android, Symbian and BlackBerry and has ditched Microsoft again. In such circumstances, Microsoft is not left with many choices, they should either go open source with Windows Mobile or come up with their own hardware to compete with iPhone and android powered HTCs.

There is no clear winner in the battle of these premium touch phones, but the competition is getting tougher by the day.

As per Google Android’s developer forum, Android 2.2 is indeed a minor platform release including user and developer features, API changes, and bug fixes. A reading on developer features and API changes can be had on Framework API section. Android 2.2 platform is available to developers as a downloadable component for the Android SDK and it includes a fully compliant Android library and system image, as well as a set of emulator skins and sample applications.

Android 2.2 Froyo(Frozen Yoghurt) offers the following variances compared to Android 2.1 Eclair.

JIT Comparison: Android 2.2 Froyo Vs Android 2.1 Eclair

Froyo makes Google-based phones faster and more powerful with added features. It has:

o JIT(Just In Time) compiler
o Free additional RAM
o OpenGL ES 2.0 enhancements
o Wifi and USB tethering
o Flash 10.1 support
o Fixed problem with “crazy screen” / Resolution of cross multi touch
o Activation of Color Trackball
o Enable FM radio

Features like Hot Spot Tethering and USB Tethering make it more appealing. Wifi tethering is now available on Android phone. Certain devices like the Nexus One can be turned into a portable Wi-Fi hotspot that can be shared with up to 8 devices.You can use your Android-powered phone as a 3G connection for a Windows or Linux laptop by connecting their phone to the computer with a USB cable. The connection is then shared between the two devices. Watch how

Ending all the speculation as to whether it will be possible to install applications directly into the SD card and run it, this feature is enabled with Froyo. Now, Froyo will update all market applications simply by the click of one button: Update all.

It can be concluded that Android 2.2 makes Google-based phones faster and more powerful with added features

o Ignore this, the ones who do not like Flash, Froyo has it.
o Froyo also has HTML5, the rival Web content standard that Apple prefers, and it does it faster than the iPhone.
o Froyo also makes existing Android phones run faster – up to 4x faster, according to early reports.(Seven reasons why Android 2.2 Froyo beats the iPhone)
o Other useful features that the iPhone doesn’t have: native Wi-Fi and USB tethering and native Web apps.

To know more about how you can leverage these to benefit your Android application development, please get in touch with bdg@qburst.com.

Do you wish to answer an incoming SMS, complete taking a friend’s picture, chat with your boss, answer a call, and then go back to keep playing a game, just where you left it before switching to any of those tasks? If you think this “resume” ability (or in iPhone lingo – “multitasking and fast app switching”) makes an OS golden, you will be happy to know that Apple is definitely going in the right direction. The iPhone 4.0 is almost here.

So, what makes iPhone 4.0 superior?
Why should I have it?

1) Multitasking
A simple task switcher (might remind you of a windows task manager plus app switching ability) can be used to see all running applications while allowing user to switch between running applications. For now, the multitasking is limited to audio streaming, VoIP and GPS applications. Other applications can be suspended in the background. The question of whether it is actually multitasking is valid. To the user, it is, but under the hood, all system resources are available to all applications, with the system assuming the role of a traffic controller, giving preference to some tasks and less preference to others as needed. Obviously, the question of RAM involved will be raised — but it is to be remembered that iPhone does not load the entire application to the memory; only that part that accesses the service is loaded. Hence, there will not be an issue of slower performance on devices with lesser RAM.

2) Information Safety and security
From the perspective of an IT manager, the number one feature of iPhone 4.0 is that the device pass key is used as an encryption key to protect email messages and attachments stored on iPhone 3GS. This security enhancement means that business critical information is safe even if the device is compromised.

3) Resume or fast application switching
With iPhone’s multitasking, actually, certain functions of applications (GPS lock or video stream) can be “paused” so that it gives the feel that the application is running the background. When the application is re-opened, they are restored to exactly the same state they were in when they were closed/switched.

4) Alerts and notifications
Would you like to know when your farm is ready to be harvested when you are using another application on your iPhone? Since the iPhone does not have a start bar or a dock-type interface, it might be assumed to be difficult. Well, rejoice! Notifications will be sent between applications on the phone and not just from remote servers. In other words, if something important or fun happens in an application you have opened and moved away from, a notification will pop up in the application you’re using at the time.

5) Better Mail
This is a feature that makes iPhone 4.0 so much better than its predecessor. The OS allows users to set up multiple Exchange ActiveSync accounts and now works with Exchange Server 2010. The new unified inbox feature allows users to see messages from all their email accounts conveniently displayed in a single inbox, or they can quickly switch between inboxes to see messages from any single account. If users receive an attachment that they want to save or edit, Mail now lets you open attachments with compatible apps from the App Store.

6) Application sharing
Apps can be updated without requiring users to connect to their computers or go through the App Store. iPhone OS 4 enables enterprises to securely host and wirelessly distribute in-house applications to employees over Wi-Fi and 3G. This is bound to increase popularity of iPhone OS 4.0 in enterprises.

Pushing past the observation that there seems to be a 4 application limit, the point that not much RAM will be used may not be all that great after all. Lets say, iPhone comes up with a device with enough RAM, it might never be used. It is questionable how much it will benefit a user, which means Apple may have no need to give users more RAM. The penalty is that developers are more limited to what they can do in the background.

QBurst Technologies has already starting working on the iPhone OS 4.0′s development kit (SDK). If you wish to know more, do not hesitate to contact us at: bdg@qburst.com

There is good news for e-book lovers from Amazon.

Amazon’s kindle, a wireless electronic portable reader which facilitates e-book reading has now become more capsuled, making it more convenient for people on the go.  BlackBerry users no longer need to carry a separate kindle to read their favorite e-books. Amazon, has now launched a Kindle app for BlackBerry, enabling the readers to purchase and read e-books. The iPhone/iTouch users already having Amazon’s kindle app, can sync the BlackBerry app with it.  The readers can thus maintain their book marks consistently across devices. Users can download the kindle app free of cost. Just like subscribing for magazines, books and news papers  using the Amazon kindle, readers need to pay only for the content they wish to download and read.

BlackBerry models, Curve 8520 & 8900, Tour 9630, Bold 9000 & 9700, Storm 9500, 9530, & 9550, supports this kindle app.

However, the user experience through a BlackBerry screen needs to be judged when compared to a Kindle device that provides a crisp black-and-white screen with regular paper readability.

Amazon is further in the process of developing similar kindle app versions for Mac and iPad.

Click here to read more.

After months of anxiety and speculation Apple has finally launched their latest creation, the iPad Tablet. Apple’s CEO, Steve Jobs, unveiled the breakthrough product in a grand meet held at San Francisco on 27th Jan 2010. Apple’s iPad is developed for people on the go to ease their online usage and other PC related tasks.The iPad is neither an iPhone nor a PC but a gadget that bridges the gap between the two. With its small size and touch screen technology, Apple’s iPad  is all set to create a new era of Tablet Computing. Although the device lacks complex functionalities when compared to a PC, it is equipped with much desired functions like web browsing, delivering media, capsuling literature, video gaming etc.
The 9.7 inch device with half an inch thickness weighs just 1.5 pounds. It features a touch screen and is available in 16, 32 or 64 gigabytes of flash memory storage.

Competitors

Analysts foresee Apple’s launch of this handy device, as a possible threat to the notebook and PC makers like HP, Dell, and Acer who have attained considerable growth in the notebook market in recent quarters.

Pricing

Aiming at a deeper market penetration, Apple has reasonably priced the Tablet at $500. Surveys project a sales estimate of approximately 3 – 4 million Tablets in the first year.

Available Models

Three basic models were introduced at the launch with WiFi capabilities. However, 3G connectivity which is expected towards March 2010 needs to be ordered separately. Price tag starts from $500 with 16GB of memory increasing to $600 and $700 for 32GB and 64GB memory. The device comes with a Dock connector to USB cable, 10W Power Adapter and documentation.

Interested to know more on iPad Tablet? Find it here: Apple.com.

Apple is all set to unveil their breakthrough product Apple Tablet / iSlate. Amidst the  uncertainties and rumors crawling around the product, technology addicts are eagerly waiting to get a glimpse of the device. The launch is planned for 27th January 2010 at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater in San Francisco. The main theme of the event is “latest creation”, which may showcase extreme functionalities of the device. A CNBC interview excerpt gives confirmation from McGraw-Hill’s CEO that Apple Tablet will soon capsule their text books. It is also understood that the Apple iSlate will be an iPhone OS based machine and hence the contents will be transferable. McGraw-Hill considers this feature will  be really helpful in penetrating the professional education market.

The device is expected to deliver a combined functionality of an iPhone and Mac Book. However, it remains to be seen whether the device is compatible with the existing apps available through the App Store.

The rumors with respect to the price tag is speculated to be around $1000 / £600. Another uncertainty is that the Tablet is said to feature an OLED screen which alone would cost  $400. There are also rumors that iSlate will be available in more than one version, even with an LCD touch screen.

Ever Thought Of Locating Your Twitter On Your Mobile Phone Even Without a GPRS Subscription?

This concept has become a reality in India with the Shorthand mobile SMS browser introduced by the Shorthand Mobile-India(www.shorthandmobile.in), a subsidary of Smarttouch mobile Inc.. The browser once downloaded will connect you to your desired web content just through a text sms. Yes, it’s that simple!

The desired web contents are stored as SMS Apps and are listed in the Shorthand browser for easy scroll and click. The users have to just scroll down to their SMS App and click the same to access the online network. The web content is located as soon as the browser sends the text message. Hence, it does not require an active data plan.

Main Features
Apart from the general SMS Apps, Shorthand has a rich GUI that makes the platform more interesting and user friendly. Apart from other similar services of accessing web content through SMS and short codes, Shorthand SMS stands apart as there is no need to undergo the complex process of storing and using the “short codes”, “keywords” and “phone numbers” to get connected. Shorthand SMS browser lets you easily select your desired content from the well listed menu in a simple way.

Cost To The User
The users can enjoy the Shorthand browser platform absolutely free of cost. Users do not have to use their data plan while accessing through the SMS Apps. Updates to online contents via SMS Apps are sent as text messages and hence only normal SMS charges apply. However downloading the Shorthand browser for the first time needs a data plan enabled.

Shorthand Mobile Compatibility
The compatibility of this platform is not at all restricted to high-end smart phones but also works on mid-tier and low-end handsets. The browser supports different platforms including J2ME, Windows Mobile and Pocket PC phones. Below is the list of phones which is currently Shorthand compatible.

Samsung S3310
Samsung S3500
Samsung SGH-L700
Nokia N70
Nokia N82
Nokia 7210 Supernova
Nokia 2700 Classic
Nokia 5130 Express Music
Sony Ericsson G502

The Application support in the server side and website maintenance for Shorthand mobile (India) is taken care by QBurst Technologies.

Upcoming Apps
Shorthand Mobile proposes to add around 15 SMS Apps to be listed on its SMS browser platform ranging from a wide area across finance, social networking and search to transportation and news which are on the pipeline.

Target Market
The parent company, Smarttouch mobile Inc., launches the shorthand mobile sms service in the Indian market with a social networking pack, which includes Facebook, Orkut, Twitter and SMS GupShup apps in the first quarter of 2010. The service would be launched through leading telecom operators on a monthly subscription pattern which is yet to finalize on.